Wyoming Seminary ESL Institute

English as a Second Language Institute
Ages 13-18

2008 Schedule
Session I: June 29 - July 26
Session II: July 27 - August 21
Session III: August 21 - August 29

Now in its seventeenth season, the ESL Institute is recognized worldwide as a leader in teaching language and American culture. From its beginning, Sem’s ESL summer has focused on the linguistic needs of students and the concerns of parents whose children study thousands of miles away from home. Thus, the schedule is full of activities, the learning is intense, and the emphasis on culture is strong.

Summer at Sem’s ESL Institute offers up to nine weeks of study. Three sessions, taken separately or together, offer families flexibility in summer planning.

Two four-week sessions begin in June and July, respectively, and provide learning opportunities in the traditional boarding school setting.

A third session, beginning in late August, offers a change of pace and fills the gap until the fall semester begins. Most students combine all three sessions to form almost nine full weeks of intensive language study.

The program is designed for students who have either studied some English as a foreign language or who have had some exposure to the English language. Intermediate students extend their vocabulary while improving their ability to read, write, speak and listen to American English. Advanced students are challenged to read short stories and novels in order to write objective, critical essays.

The English as a Second Language Institute helps prepare students for boarding school life in the United States – the routines of the classroom and residential life, teachers’ expectations and the timely completion of assignments, and the importance of speaking up and expressing opinions. Wyoming Seminary’s setting – a small city where students can walk to the cinema, restaurants, parks,
and shops – presents an ideal opportunity to experience American life on the East Coast.

New York and Philadelphia are just a few hours by bus from Kingston. Excursions to these sites– chaperoned by Summer at Sem teachers and counselors – give students a taste of major American cities.